The present disclosure relates generally to hydrophilic copolymers and assemblies containing the same.
Polymeric assemblies, such as star micelles, cylindrical micelles, wormlike micelles, multi-compartment micelles, toroidal assemblies, vesicles, nanofibers, helical superstructure and macroscopic tubes, have been utilized as carriers for drug and gene delivery. These organized assemblies are suitable for use in a wide variety of applications, such as bioengineering, biomedicine, materials science and pharmaceutics. In some instances, polymeric micelles with a core-shell structure are assembled in an aqueous solution utilizing the hydrophobic interactions between core-forming segments. The hydrophobic inner core serves as a container for hydrophobic drugs, while the outer shell provides micelles with colloidal stability and extends the circulation time in the bloodstream after their systemic administration. The synthesis procedure for conventional micelles of block copolymers with various hydrophobic blocks may be relatively complicated since the loading capability for various drugs is mainly determined by the compatibility between a drug and the hydrophobic segment.